The crazy things we’ve done for beauty

If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably done some crazy things for beauty over the years. From ironing your hair with an actual iron to trekking it to visit a Sephora, you can’t help yourself: you’re totally addicted to beauty. But now it’s time to confess. Here are the wackiest things we (and some of our beloved bh members) have done for beauty. Because they made complete sense at the time…

 “Using bi-carb soda to brush my teeth - it was meant to whiten them!” – bh’s Bree

(This one’s not entirely nutty. See our 10 DIY beauty uses for bi-carb soda). 

“I drive three hours each way to do my hair colour – it’s an all-day event, every six weeks! I also once coloured my hair black and hated it so much, I went back to the salon on the same day to get it changed back. It took about six months to get it back to normal.” – bh’s Christine 

bh tip: To avoid regretting your new hair colour, experiment with a semi-permanent at-home colour such as Schwarzkopf LIVE Colour Ultra Brights Shocking Pink or Goldwell Professional Colorance Soft Color first. If you love your new look, you can colour it for real later on!

"Swishing coconut oil around my mouth for 20 minutes each night for two weeks straight in the hope of getting a smile as bright and white as Lauren Conrad!" – bh’s Rosie

“There has been more than one occasion where I've received a new mascara or lipstick and taken off my whole face of make-up and redone it so that I could try it immediately. Tomorrow is too far away - always!” – bh’s Carli 

bh tip: To remove make-up quickly without hurting your skin, try using a micellar water such as Simple Micellar Cleansing Water or Garnier Skin Naturals Micellar Cleansing Water.

“I once had to have this lipstick soooo badly that I told my work I'd be in late because I had a ‘doctors appointment’ .I was at the store as soon as they opened at 9am to buy the lippie!” – bh’s Astrid

“I wanted Nicole Richie's hair so bad, I bleached my brunette locks from root to tip and then coloured them purple.” – bh’s Sam

Check out Sam's amazing hair transformation (it's #epic). 

“On my trip to America, I took no make-up over, knowing I would hit the first MAC store I found in LA. On the first day of my holiday, I spent around $400 (US dollars!) in MAC and bought EVERYTHING, from primer to finishing powder and about eight lippies, and carried my haul around for five weeks. It was a pain, but I sure looked good.” – hh’s Anna

“I used to buy dried chamomile flowers, put them in a bowl of hot water and lie with my head in the bowl for up to 20 minutes to try to 'naturally enhance' my blonde hair!” – bh’s Debbie

(There are way easier ways to prevent colour fading, just FYI).

“I have a lot of baby hair on my forehead, and it makes my forehead look smaller. So I did what any beauty-obsessed person would do (that’s sarcasm)… I waxed it! It hurt like OMG. Never again.” - bh member GildedButterflies

“The day before my sister-in-law's wedding in New York, I dragged my husband out of the hotel, ran five blocks down the street and through Central Park to Sephora (which had closed their doors) to beg them to open up so I could buy two small tubes of Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion (one for her, one for me).” – bh member TheUglyDuckling

TheUglyDuckling isn’t the only one who loves Urban Decay – you guys went nuts when we revealed the brands’ Australian prices!

“Despite the instructions saying to apply bleach to the mid-lengths and ends first, wait 15 or so minutes, and then apply to roots, I thought this would make my hair two-toned. Instead, I applied all the bleach to my head at once. My roots turned white, and the rest of my hair was bright yellow! I had to put a cap on (with my hair tucked inside it) and go out to buy more bleach to do the mid-lengths and ends a second time to get a colour match.” – bh member MissFortune8

“Applying snail mucus (an actual product!) to my face, because apparently it's very popular in the Korean beauty culture and known for its scar healing properties.” – bh member Ronii 

“In my teens, I saw there was hair on my arm in the spot where a short shirt sleeve would end, so I took out my scissors to cut off that hair. But instead, I accidentally cut my arm and it bled and I still have a 'v' shaped mark there. Very painful.” – bh member CherryBlossom 

To safely get rid of unwanted hair on your forearms, try waxing. It’s easier than you think. Just watch our how-to, featuring the Veet EasyWax™ Electrical Roll-on Kit.

“I once tried to bleach the hair on my upper lip and I had a reaction to the bleach and it burnt my skin badly. I had a big red handlebar moustache. Never again!” –bh member Bijoux 

“When I was overseas, my luggage was lost so I had no straightener. I was desperate to have my hair straight so I thought the next best option would be to use an iron. Putting my hair on an ironing board while my mum helped out felt so ridiculous.” – bh member MissM19

(If it’s any consolation MissM19, Lupita Nyong’o’s also taken an iron to her hair).

“I permed my hair with the expectation it would give me bouncy, loose curls, but the end product was super tight curls - like noodles! I waited for two days and had it straightened out.” – bh member Pinkswoon 

“When I was a teen, I was obsessed with a certain lip colour that I couldn't find. So I decided to buy two lipstick colours, melt them on a metal spoon (junkie style) and mix them together. The two lipstick colours that were closest to that particular shade were from Chanel ($52 each!). After $104, one fire hazard and one messy table later, the lipstick colour was terrible and the texture was also atrocious. I haven't bought a Chanel lipstick since.” – bh member Marnie144
 

Can you identify with any of these stories? What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for beauty?